GB2298413A

GB2298413A - Disposable container for cosmetics

Info

Publication number: GB2298413A
Application number: GB9504320A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Warom
Original assignee: Body Shop International PLC
Current assignee: Body Shop International PLC
Priority date: 1995-03-03
Filing date: 1995-03-03
Publication date: 1996-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2015-03-03
Also published as: GB2298413B; AU4838896A; GB9504320D0; WO1996027537A1

Abstract

A light container typically for re-fills of cosmetic products is formed of a frangible material, such as plastics, having a groove 8 running across a base 1. The walls 3 of the base 1 have slots 5 to receive tongues 10 of a planar lid 9. The container is provided with grips. To open the container, a consumer holds at least one grip and simultaneously twists both wrists in opposite directions, whereupon the container snaps open along the groove.

Description

Disposable Container for Cosmetics The invention relates to . a disposable container particularly but not exclusively for cosmetic product refills, such as pressed powder.

In today's environment-conscious world manufacturers are faced with a conundrum of balancing the requirements on the one hand of an attractive and substantial packaging for their product and on the other hand of reducing the amount of packaging used to protect the environment, conserve resources and to comply with various laws, such as Germany's packaging regulations, whereby the manufacturer has to take back any unwanted packaging from shops and further to pay a levy for the recycling of any packaging collected by municipal refuse services.

One common solution used by industries as diverse as cosmetics, food and paint is to sell the product in a solid and rigid container or dispenser and-then to sell re-fills in more flimsy packaging which use less material and hence cost less to transport and manufacture and less to take back from shops. The problem with such flimsy containers is that they are liable to break or distort so that the product will be damaged and indeed an entire carton of products may become unsaleable.

The present invention seeks to provide a light container for re-fills, which is strong enough to withstand the rigours of transport, yet easily opened by the user to enable the dispenser to be refilled.

According to the present invention there is provided a container at least partially formed of a frangible material, comprising a base having a peripheral upstanding wall defining a compartment, a lid securable to the base to close the compartment, wherein the container has a predetermined breaking region about which the container is frangible to enable access to be gained to the contents.

Preferably the pre-determined breaking region consists of a line of weakness such as a groove extending across the base.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the lid is secured to the base by at least one tongue engageable in an associated recess.

Preferably the lid has a plurality of tongues each insertable into a respective slot in the base.

Preferably the container has one or more grips consisting of tightly spaced grooves to facilitate the opening of the container.

Preferably the container has no sharp edges so that the consumer does not risk injury upon snapping open the container.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example in greater detail with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top elevation of a base unit of a container; Figure 2 is an underside view of the base; Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the assembled container; Figure 4 is a view of the underside of a lid of the container; Figure 5 is an end view of the lid.

The embodiment comprises a container for a cosmetic refill, particularly a powder compact refill which consists of a block of compressed powder. Such blocks are quite fragile and therefore need to be protected in a rigid case for storage and transport to reduce the risk of damage.

Transferring the product of the refill container to the powder compact must also be carried out with care.

Figure 1 shows the rectangular base 1 having arcuate corners 2 and an upstanding boundary wall 3 having a flanged edge 4. The wall 3 has four recesses or slots 5, one slot being situated on each of the shorter sides of the wall and two slots being located on one of the longer sidewalls.

There is a short inwardly directed protrusion 6 located on each of the internal face of the longer sidewalls perpendicularly opposite one another,thereby forming a division in the base, such that two separate components or cosmetic refills may be located within the container and being held apart by the protrusion Located on the external face of the longer wall opposite to the side on which two slots 5 are located and extending laterally away therefrom is a further protrusion 7 approximately one third the length of the longer side. On said protrusion there are a plurality of ridges parallel to the longer wall, thereby forming a grip to facilitate the opening of the container.

Figure 2 shows the same base from the underside, whereby the flanged edge, grip and the outside of the material providing the slots are shown. There is a groove 8 on the outer surface of the base running across the base parallel to the longer side, said groove extends up the side wall to the flanged edge. The groove is located approximately one third the length of the shorter wall from the longer wall having the grip and is therefore adjacent to the two slots situated in the shorter wall on the side of the grip.

Figure 4 shows the planar lid 9, the shape and dimensions of which correspond to those of the base 1, having four tongues 10 positioned so as to be aligned with the respective positions of the four slots 5 on the base. A lid is shown more clearly in figure 5 where the tongues 10 extend vertically downwards from the lid and are of a trapezoidal design, the edge attached to the lid being slightly shorter than the parallel edge remote from the lid.

Figure 3 shows the assembled container with the base 1 and the lid 9. The lid lies flush with the flanged wall so that the assembled unit form a planar surface on the top side. The tongues 10 fit into the slots 5 and due to the slight trapezoidal nature of the tongues, the lid is held firmly in position.

To open the thus assembled container, the consumer will hold the grip in one hand and the assembled unit as a whole on the opposite side of the weakened region and by simultaneously rotating both wrists in opposite directions a force is applied which concentrates in the region of the weakened zone on the base of the container, thereby distorting the base about its weakened zone to form two angularly displaced parts, with the apex of the distortion uppermost, until the container fractures about the groove 8.

The lid is arranged to detach from one part, but be retained by the other. The container is thus opened and hence the consumer is able to remove the contents.

It is envisaged that the base will be formed of a rigid and preferable brittle plastic, such as polystyrene, the lid will be made of a clear rigid plastic. Although the predetermined breaking region is described here as a groove many alternatives would be possible. By way of example it would be possible to treat a region of the base with heat, light or chemical means to form a weakened zone. The container could also be formed of several types of plastic and have an especially rigid and brittle strip inserted into the base in place of the groove; the rest of the container could thereby be formed of a more ductile material.

Furthermore it would also be possible to have a substantially planar base with the lid having a wall. In such a design the pre-determined breaking region could also be located in the lid. The tongue-slot design of holding the lid and base together is also given by way of example: other methods would be equally possible such as gluing the base and lid together or sealing the container using heat in the known manner. Additionally the grip could be either dispensed with and/or parallel ridges added to the outer surfaces of the base and/or lid. The position of the predetermined region is here given by way of example in an optimal position, but could of course be located in any of a plurality of positions or directions.

Claims

1. A container formed at least partially of a frangible material, comprising a base having a base wall and a peripheral upstanding wall defining a compartment, a lid securable to the base to close the compartment, wherein the container has a pre-determined breaking region about which the container is frangible to enable access to be gained to contents of the container.

2. A container according to Claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking region consists of a line of weakness extending across the base.

3. A container according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the breaking region extends from a first point on the base wall to a second point on the base wall remote from said first point.

4. A container according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the line of weakness comprises a groove.

5. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the lid is secured to the base by at least one tongue engageable in an associated recess.

6. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the lid has a plurality of tongues each insertable into a respective slot in the base.

7. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the container has one or more grips consisting of tightly spaced grooves to facilitate the opening of the container.

8. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the container has no sharp edges upon opening the container.

9. A container according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the contents include a powder compact refill.

10. A container substantially as described herein, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.